ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike held back tears Monday as she gave an impassioned plea about the discourse surrounding the WNBA. Things have been so bad that Chiney was choking back tears as she attempted to acknowledge all the various events and storylines.
Since Saturday, the internet has been a wild place. Chennedy Carter unnecessarily hip-checked Caitlin Clark, and things unraveled from there. So many fans and media personalities have chimed in about the growing conversations, including Pat McAfee, Rebecca Lobo and even Kendrick Perkins.
Now, Chiney Ogwumike, a WNBA player and current star broadcaster at ESPN, seemingly addressed fans everywhere with a WNBA update. Here’s what Chiney shared:
“For those who may be new to this, the WNBA has always been a physical league, full of competitive fire and trash talk…I have played with Chennedy Carter and her choice to retaliate on a non-basketball play was literally foul and something she has struggled with her entire career. That was not okay.”
“One player’s approach is not indicative of an entire league…plays like this happen in sports, but now it’s being used to further agendas that don’t serve the game….”
“We all know, and we appreciate the unparalleled amount of growth and attention that Caitlin — I’m her biggest fan — is driving to help become the beacon of so much interest and engagement and viewership to this game…but that narrative, that actually does a disservice to her. This is not hate. This is hoops.”
"The WNBA has always been a physical league, full of competitive fire and trash talk."@chiney with her State of the Union, WNBA Edition: pic.twitter.com/xGHeJPVUq1
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 3, 2024
